Basic countries oppose EU's carbon tax model

The Basic (India, China, Brazil and South Africa) would oppose European Union's bid to internationalise its emission regulations for civil aviation sector and is set to seek additional emission reductions by rich countries for short-lived climate change causing gases.

The negotiators and experts from the four key countries in the global climate negotiations were also of the view that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) should discuss a "menu" of options rather than adopting the EU market mechanism for controlling emissions from aeroplanes.

India and China had always opposed EU mechanism but on Friday it was able to bring South Africa and Brazil on board for rejecting the European model. The negotiations from four countries discussed different models that could be suggested to ICAO to control aviation emissions, also called bunker fuels.

The 27 member EU in 2012 had suspended its decision to enforce airlines from non-European nations to pay carbon tax for landing in European airports after the ICAO agreed to discuss a mechanism to check rising global warming causing emissions from the sector.

The Basic countries were also unanimous that they should push rich nations to seek additional emission cuts to compensate for potent global warming causing short-lived gases such as methane and black carbon.

This is primarily to counter the bid of the developing world to push the Basic group to accept some sort of emission cuts in post 2020 climate regime being discussed under the Durban platform. A vital scientific input for strategising on this aspect was provided by experts from Basic countries who discussed the impact of these short-lived gases on global warming and need to push for reducing their emissions.

There was also discussion on review of the global convention of climate change likely to happen by 2014 and the work of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which would be submitting its fifth assessment report by next year. Basic nations also agreed to join United States backed Clean Air Initiative.

The day long talks between the negotiators of an important group in international climate talks also deliberated on how to deepen the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibility (CBDR) in the post-2020 climate agreement, which could have some sort of legal form.

"Once the issues regarding principles under the convention are sorted out other things like equity and CBDR would fall in place," said a negotiator, who was not willing to be quoted.

The ministers from the four Basic countries including environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan would further discuss the draft of agreements between negotiators on Saturday.